Hodgson to manage England Under-21s

31 July 2013 07:32

Roy Hodgson will take charge of the England Under-21 team against Scotland on a one-off basis while a new coach is appointed.

The Football Association has announced that England boss Hodgson and his assistant Ray Lewington will lead the squad for the match on August 13 at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane, the evening before England's senior team meet Scotland at Wembley.

Hodgson will have both squads at St George's Park and is viewing the opportunity as a chance to talent-spot any young players who could break through into a World Cup squad.

The FA expects a successor to Stuart Pearce will be appointed before England Under-21s' first competitive fixture in September and has advertised the vacant position.

Hodgson said: "There is an opportunity while the recruitment process goes on for me to work with this squad for this fixture, and it is something I very much wanted to do.

"Following the tournament in the summer a number of players are now too old for the age group, so we will look at a new batch and I'm keen to work closely on the training field with them for the few days before the game at Bramall Lane.

"I watch the under-21 fixtures and I was in Israel for the (European Championship) tournament, but as a coach nothing can beat the training field and the team hotel for getting to know players properly. In a World Cup year it makes absolute sense while there is the chance to do it."

In a change to the previous set-up, the new under-21 coach will have responsibility for the other coaches of younger age groups, and will report into the FA's director of elite development Dan Ashworth.

Club England managing director Adrian Bevington said: "This should ensure a consistency of style across all our teams.

"We are managing an open recruitment process for this role and expect to have a new coach in position for the September qualifying games."